Briefs: NAIA wrestling, UGF softball, Purcell steps down

TOPEKA, Kan. – Forsyth native Matt Weber of Montana State-Northern defeated Tyler Fraley of Arkansas’ Williams Baptist College 16-12 to take third place at 141 pounds during the 59th annual NAIA National Wrestling Championships Saturday at the Kansas Expocentre.

Weber, a redshirt freshman, and redshirt junior Garrett DeMers of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, finished third for MSU-Northern, which finished a distant second place in the team totals with 104 points. Grand View University of Des Moines, Iowa, won their fifth straight national team title going away with 210.

Northern heavyweight Taylor Kornoely, a JuCo transfer from Michigan by way of North Idaho College, was pinned by Grand View’s Dean Broghammer in 56 seconds in the championship matchup.

Chinook standout Wille Miller of the Lights also wrestled for third place at 174 pounds, but dropped an 11-3 major decision to Matt Walker on Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky, and heavyweight Toby Cheff pinned Stephen Wilbert of Warner Pacific in the seventh-place bout.

The University of Great Falls finished 25th in the 46-team tournament, the first time since the wrestling team was formed in the 2004-05 season the Argos failed to reach the top 10 in the team standings. Their only All-American, Conrad senior Luke Schlosser, finished fifth at 125 pounds. Schlosser defeated MSU-Northern’s Quintel Fuchs 12-0 in the fifth-place bout.

Schlosser was pinned by Hugo Perez of Midland (Neb.) in the championship semifinals, then dropped a 4-3 decision to Menlo’s Troy Lakin in the consolation semis.

Wrestlers placing eighth and higher are classified as NAIA All-Americans.

Purcell steps away from Bozeman football

BOZEMAN - Bozeman High head football coach Troy Purcell, who led the Hawks to three AA championships, has resigned.

Purcell, a former Helena Capital and Carroll College star, coached the team the past 11 seasons. Before that he led Havre High to the 2004 Class A state championship. Purcell graduated from Helena Capital in 1990.

“It’s been a good run and it’s been fun,” Purcell said in a text message. “I will inform you of future plans when they become official.”

Van Blaricom fans 10, fires 3-hitter for UGF

TUCSON, Ariz. – Righthander Keeley Van Blaricom fired a three-hit shutout and struck out 10, while Chloe Cross had two singles and drove in the only run Saturday as the University of Great Falls blanked Siena Heights (Mich.) 1-0 at the Tuscon Invitational softball tournament.

Cross singled home pinch-runner Kyra Dorall in the bottom of the fifth for the game’s only run. Van Blaricom was 1-for-3 with a double at the plate, and only walked two batters in winning her first game of the year.